Five New Year’s resolutions for IC Consultants

It’s written by IC Consultant Jessica Bull, who has been contracting for four years. She started off in the public sector and has recently been working in the private sector. She’s here to share what she’s learnt and to make some promises for this year.

Are you thinking about working as a Comms Consultant in 2019? I have two Masterclasses to support you – Exploration if you’re exploring the idea and are currently in-house, which is on 28 January or 6 March 2019, or Momentum on 6 February or 10 April 2019 if you’re already working as a Consultant and wish to build momentum in your business. Find out more.

I’ll hand you over to Jess…

Five New Year’s resolutions for Internal Comms Consultants

In 2019, I’m going to:

1. Step outside my comfort zone:

When I was considering going it alone, a good friend and mentor advised me to “take on the projects you’re scared of: you’ll end up with a CV that shows you can do anything”. A few years ago I made the switch from public to private sector. I’ll admit, I was terrified. Would I feel the same sense of job satisfaction? Would I be the right ‘fit’ for the corporate world?

Turns out I love it and am thriving on the fast pace and creative freedom.

2. Lean out (occasionally):

When you can only invoice for days worked, it’s tempting to work through holidays and drag yourself into the office with the flu. But in consulting, it pays to have a healthy body and mind. For me, that means making time to swim, have fun with my family and generally relax. When you are your most important asset, you really do need to take good care of yourself.

3. Talk less, listen more:

The older I get, the more I’m interested in what others have to say. If you’re new to contracting, you might feel you need to prove yourself by immediately coming up with lots of solutions or spouting comms theory.

In fact, you’ll earn a lot more respect by taking some time to understand what your clients want and only then sharing the benefit of your experience.

4. Keep on top of the paperwork:

This has got to be the most boring but most essential New Year’s resolution of all time. As anyone who’s run their own business knows, there’s nothing scarier than realising your tax return is due and your books are a mess. I use an online accountancy service to make it easier and, this year, I‘m going to put half an hour a week in my diary to keep up with my admin.

5. Spend time with my people:

I love it when I find a fellow comms geek to swap stories with and learn from. Plus, my last few contracts have come about as a result of personal recommendations. So this year I’m going to spend more time catching up over a glass of wine, sharing tips while grabbing a bite to eat and dropping a line to my IC colleagues past and present.